News

If you’re thinking about taking the Capital Beltway near McLean this weekend, you might want to reconsider that plan.

Starting on the night of Friday, Jan. 24, four of the six northbound lanes on I-495 will be shut down for one mile from the Route 7 interchange (Leesburg Pike) in Tysons to Lewinsville Road in McLean to accommodate construction.


Countywide
Snow on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in Dunn Loring (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Schools Open on Two-Hour Delay — With some snow still on the ground from Sunday (Jan. 19) and frigid temperatures overnight, Fairfax County Public Schools is opening two hours late today (Tuesday). “Central Office employees may report two hours later than their regular scheduled time, but no later than 10 a.m. Central offices will open to the public at 10 a.m.” [FCPS]

Order Nixes Telework for Federal Workers — As expected, newly inaugurated “President Trump has signed an executive action directing federal agencies to order their workers back to the office full time,” though unions with contracts that allow telework have indicated they might take legal action. “Trump also signed a hiring freeze for most federal agencies, with the military being one notable exception.” [NPR]

Fairfax Motorcyclist Killed in Manassas Crash — “A Fairfax man is dead after the motorcycle he was driving collided with an SUV in Manassas, authorities said. According to Prince William County police, the crash happened shortly after 3:40 p.m. Friday on Centreville Road near Breeden Avenue.” [Patch]

ICYMI: Tysons Casino Bill Advances — A gaming subcommittee voted 5-2 yesterday (Monday), with Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-39) abstaining, to report Sen. Scott Surovell’s bill to make Fairfax County eligible for a casino to the full Senate General Laws and Technology Committee, which is scheduled to meet next at 11 a.m. on Wednesday (Jan. 22). [FFXnow]

Former Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dies — “The Mount Vernon District, and all of Fairfax County, lost an influential and well-respected community member this past weekend with the passing of Gerald W. (Gerry) Hyland.” In addition to representing Mount Vernon District on the Board of Supervisors from 1987 to 2015, he founded the nonprofit Mount Vernon at Home and served on various boards and commissions. [On the MoVe]

Hispanic Supermarket in Annandale Could Open Soon — “Megamart, a grocery store focusing on the Hispanic community, is expected to open in Annandale in late February or early March. The store is located at 4415 John Marr Drive in the space formerly occupied by Party Co and AnnSandra.” [Annandale Today]

Falls Church Looks to Build First Roundabout — “The Falls Church City Council has voted to pursue eminent domain in order to build the city’s first traffic circle … The city has been seeking to acquire about 1% of the 2.48-acre Bowl America site as part of a project to install the roundabout at the current four-way intersection at S. Maple Avenue and Annandale Road.” [ARLnow]

Fairfax Surpasses Arlington in 2024 Housing Sales — “Arlington, Virginia, is typically the most expensive county in the D.C. region for home selling prices, and for much of 2024 that remained the case, but Fairfax County had a strong year. Closed sales in Fairfax County jumped more than twice as much as closed sales in Arlington County.” [WTOP]

It’s Tuesday — Flurries possible after 10am, with a cloudy high of 22 and west wind at 5-7 mph. At night, there’s a slight chance of snow showers before midnight, with clouds clearing and a low of 9 but wind chill values as low as -3. Expect light, variable wind becoming northwest at 5-10 mph in the evening and a 20% chance of precipitation. [NWS]


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Countywide

Update — At its Wednesday, Jan. 22 meeting, the Virginia Senate General Laws and Technology Committee voted 11-3 with Sen. Adam Ebbin, the committee’s chair, abstaining to advance the bill to authorize a casino in Fairfax County to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.

Earlier: A bill that would make Fairfax County eligible for a casino is again making headway through the Virginia Senate.


Sports

A couple of key boys basketball games are on tap in coming days involving first-place teams in the Concorde and Patriot districts.

In the Concorde, the South Lakes Seahawks (9-2) and Westfield Bulldogs (10-4) are tied for first with 3-0 records. The high-school squads are set to play Friday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Reston at South Lakes.


Event

In its 14th year of production, Skye Ballet Center presents The Nutcracker. The absolutely gorgeous ballet will take place on Saturday, November 28th at 2 pm and 6 pm. Join us to a wonderful start to the holiday season!!

SBC Nutcracker
South Lakes High School
2:00 and 6:00 pm


Countywide

Another round of snow is expected to hit the D.C. area today (Sunday).

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the region, forecasting between 1 and 3 inches of snow for Fairfax County and other parts of Northern Virginia.


Sports

The stage is set for a showdown for first in Concorde District girls basketball between neighborhood rivals Chantilly Chargers and Centreville Wildcats.

The game is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Centreville.


Around Town

Good Friday evening, Fairfax County. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Jan 17, 2025.

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  1. Private girls’ school in McLean celebrates record $60M donation (24382 views)
  2. VDOT’s snowstorm cleanup gets critical reviews from Fairfax County board (18216 views)
  3. Fairfax County Public Library unveils most popular books of 2024 (16768 views)
  4. Fairfax County board backs plan to convert vacant hotel into family shelter (16600 views)
  5. Fairfax school board approves new contract with teachers, but pay raises depend on county budget (10337 views)
  6. New pickleball facility in Chantilly targets spring opening (9822 views)
  7. Here’s when to expect the new development at Reston Station (6642 views)
  8. Senate majority leader to champion Tysons casino bill in Richmond (5100 views)

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Saturday throughout the county, from our event calendar.

🌧️ Saturday’s forecast

Rain and snow showers are expected before noon, followed by a slight chance of rain showers between noon and 3pm. With a high of 44, a south wind of 6 to 9 mph is anticipated and a 40% chance of precipitation. Saturday night might see rain and snow after 4am, with mostly cloudy skies, a low of 31, and northwest winds of 5 to 8 mph after midnight. There’s a 30% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.

We hope you have a great weekend! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋


Sports

Leading start to finish, the Langley Saxons won a key game in Liberty District girls basketball action against the host Washington-Liberty Generals.

With the 53-38 victory Wednesday night (Jan. 15), Langley (11-3) remained in first place in the district with a 5-0 record.


Sports

Madison High School graduate Connor Barry had a productive season for the Christopher Newport University football team during the fall.

The sophomore starting quarterback completed 68 percent of his passes and averaged 195 yards per game throwing the ball for the Division III Captains.